Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 30 SepteMber 2019

More violence grips Hong Kong ahead of China's National Day

By EILEEN NG proaching four months
HONG KONG (AP) — Pro- long, has battered Hong
testers and police clashed Kong's economy, with busi-
in Hong Kong for a second nesses and tourism plung-
straight day on Sunday, ing.
throwing the semiautono- Chief Executive Lam held
mous Chinese territory's her first community dia-
business and shopping belt logue with the public on
into chaos and sparking Thursday in a bid to de-
fears of more ugly scenes fuse tensions but failed to
leading up to China's Na- persuade protesters, who
tional Day holiday this vowed to press on until
week. their demands are met, in-
Riot police repeatedly fired cluding direct elections for
blue liquid — used to iden- the city's leaders and po-
tify protesters — from a wa- lice accountability.
ter cannon truck and multi- Earlier Sunday, hundreds of
ple volleys of tear gas after pro-Beijing Hong Kong resi-
demonstrators hurled Molo- dents sang the Chinese na-
tov cocktails at officers and tional anthem and waved
targeted the city's govern- red flags at the Victoria
ment office complex. Peak hilltop and a water-
It was a repeat of Satur- front cultural center in a
day's clashes and part of a A protestor prepares to throw molotov cocktail in Hong Kong, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019. show of support for Chinese
familiar cycle since pro-de- Associated Press rule.
mocracy protests began "We want to take this time
in early June. The protests "So many youngsters had amassed in the popu- Members of an elite police for the people to express
were sparked by a now- feel that they're going to lar Causeway Bay shop- squad, commonly known our love for our country,
shelved extradition bill and have no future because ping district. But thousands as raptors, then charged China. We want to show
have since snowballed into of the power of China," of people regrouped and out suddenly from behind the international commu-
an anti-China movement. Andy Yeung, 40, said as defiantly marched along a barricades, taking many nity that there is another
"We know that in the face he pushed his toddler in main thoroughfare toward protesters by surprise. Sev- voice to Hong Kong" apart
of the world's largest to- a stroller. "It's hopeless for government offices, crip- eral who failed to flee in from the protests, said or-
talitarian regime — to Hong Kong. If we don't pling traffic. time were subdued and ganizer Innes Tang.
quote Captain America, stand up, there will be no Protesters, many clad in detained in a scene of Mobs of Beijing supporters
'Whatever it takes,'" Justin hope." black with umbrellas and chaos. have appeared in malls
Leung, a 21-year-old dem- Hong Kong's government carrying pro-democracy The raptors, backed by and on the streets in recent
onstrator who covered his has already scaled down posters and foreign flags, scores of riot police, pur- weeks to counter pro-de-
mouth with a black scarf, the city's National Day cel- sang songs and chanted sued protesters down mocracy protesters, lead-
said of the violent meth- ebrations, canceling an "Stand with Hong Kong, roads to nearby areas. Of- ing to brawls between the
ods deployed by hard-line annual fireworks display fight for freedom." Some ficers continued to fire a rival camps.
protesters. "The consensus and moving a reception defaced, tore down and water cannon and more Many people view the ex-
right now is that everyone's indoors. burned National Day con- tear gas, and the cat-and- tradition bill, which would
methods are valid and we Despite security concerns, gratulatory signs, setting mouse clashes lasted late have sent criminal suspects
all do our part." the government said Sun- off a huge blaze on the into the night. Streets were to mainland China for trial,
Protesters are planning to day that Chief Executive street. Others smashed win- left littered with graffiti on as a glaring example of the
march again Tuesday de- Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's dows and lobbed gasoline walls and debris. erosion of Hong Kong's au-
spite a police ban, raising leader, will lead a delega- bombs into subway exits The demonstration was tonomy when the former
fears of more violent con- tion of over 240 people to that had been shuttered. part of global "anti-total- British colony returned to
frontations that would em- Beijing on Monday to par- Police then fired a water itarianism" rallies to de- Chinese rule in 1997.
barrass Chinese President ticipate in National Day fes- cannon and tear gas as nounce "Chinese tyranny." China has denied chipping
Xi Jinping as his ruling Com- tivities. the crowd approached Thousands rallied in Tai- away at Hong Kong's free-
munist Party marks 70 years Sunday's turmoil started in the government office pei, Taiwan's capital, while doms and accused the U.S.
since taking power. Posters the early afternoon when complex. Most fled but more than 1,000 took part and other foreign powers
are calling for Oct. 1 to be police fired tear gas to dis- hundreds returned, hurling in a rally in Sydney. of fomenting the unrest to
marked as "A Day of Grief." perse a large crowd that objects into the complex. The protracted unrest, ap- weaken its dominance.q